Colombia opens embassy in Jerusalem in reversal of Petro-era policy
The South American nation became the 10th country with an embassy in Jerusalem. President Abelardo de la Espriella has also restored a free trade deal with Israel.
Archive image · Photo: U.S. Department of State from United States / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Oct. 14, becoming the 10th country with a diplomatic mission in the city. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and visiting Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar attended the ceremony. "Today, we are taking a concrete step toward restoring diplomatic relations between us," Bula Escobar said, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. "Israel is a strategic partner—it always has been, and from now on, it will be even more so."
The move reverses the course of former President Gustavo Petro, whose government cut diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024 and who was an outspoken critic of the war in Gaza. New President Abelardo de la Espriella has also restored a free trade agreement. Saar recalled his campaign pledge: "If I am elected President, I will immediately move the Embassy of Colombia to Jerusalem." "He made a promise, and he kept it," Saar wrote, calling the opening "the beginning of a golden age" in relations. The reports cited included no Palestinian reaction.